Florence

Notes: iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices

I love Florence so much and it’s a pleasure to finally review it. Initially, I smell iris and amber. There’s a touch of sweetness from the berries. The iris is oh so slightly dry and powdery and the amber adds warmth and roundness, with a touch of spice. The elements combine to a sweet, feminine, sophisticated scent that is so pretty. This is what I wanted the Haunted Palace to smell like (despite the fact that HP notes indicate it wouldn’t smell at all like this, I think it was more the description fits this scent so well). After a while, the berries recede and I’m left with a beautiful spiced amber that has a touch of powdery iris. Beautiful.

Thaleia

Notes: honey, ylang ylang, apricot, ciste, blood orange and gardenia with earthy, warm tonka.

Initially I smell honey and blood orange. This is a really interesting scent and quite unusual. It’s rather offputting. Normally I find BPAL to be very well blended and I often have a hard time picking out individual notes. Thaleia, on the other hand is a cacophony of notes. There’s something almost herbal in here, dry smelling and arid (I think that’s a combination of the honey and apricot). Wow, there’s apricot there. Maybe that’s what I’m finding offputting, I’m not a fan of apricot scents. As it wears, the scent darkens and deepens at bit. Overall, this is all about honeyed apricots with a lesser amount of honeyed oranges. Personally, I’m glad I got to try this, but this is not a scent for me.

Penitence

Notes: frankincense and myrrh.

I can’t tell the difference between frankincense and myrrh, and I can’t find my essential oil box right now, but this reminds me of a rich perfume, of the traditional type. Smoky, sultry, of the oriental genre. To me, it’s slightly reminiscent of Youth Dew. I think there must be some similarity of scent but even more so of the vibe. When I think of frankincense and myrrh, I think of churches and burning resins. I have to say, this scent doesn’t make me think of church.

I like it a lot. Rich, sexy, confident, slightly spicy.

Seance

Notes: rosewood, rose leaf, hazel

My first impression of Séance is: roses! Rich, moist, lush roses. Slightly green. My second thought is that this is a good sub for Rose Red. It has that same fresh rose with a touch of greenery. After I’ve had it on for a couple minutes, the rosewood comes out and it’s not an exact dupe of Rose Red but still very nice.

After it’s been on a while, this still remains a beautiful rose scent, slightly woody. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Thanks GC swap – I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to my imp of this otherwise!

Kostnice

Notes: frankincense, rosewood, lily, geranium rose

Weird, this smells like nuts on me. There’s a slight floral in the background, along with something slightly astringent. I found my frankincense EO, and after sniffing that, then my hand, I can detect frankincense slightly in the background. This is a really odd scent. I think it must be how it’s reacting with me and my chemistry.

After it’s been on a while, the weird nutty smell softens and I can smell the rosewood and lily. Soft and woody, slightly herbal. Behind it though remain the nuts.

This has been an interesting scent to test, and I’ll hang onto my imp just in case it’s due to a time of the month issue. But, at the same time, I’m in no hurry to repeat this experience.

Jester

Notes: huckleberry, red currant, neroli

On, this is ripe and juicy berries, dripping with juice. There’s a faint note far in the background that must be the neroli – neroli to me has always had a sharp, bitter quality. There’s something here that forms a point or a pinnacle in the background. It almost smells like there could be jasmine in here but I think it’s the bite of the neroli.

This smells like the same berry that’s in Florence. I love those berries. There’s a fair bit of similarity. After the oil has been on a bit, the neroli smoothes out and Jester turns into this very nice berry-floral scent (this is where the similarity to Florence comes in). It makes a good perfume but I think it would be even better in bath gel or bubble bath.

Magdalene

notes: white roses, labdanum, wild orchid

Initially Magdalene smells herbal to me, a bit dry and dusty. Then the rose comes out, but it’s a subdued rose, a quiet rose unlike the brash rose in Peacock Queen or the forthright rose of Rose Red. The herbs and rose remain and interplay, I can’t name what that herb is – maybe sage? It’s dry, a bit sharp and sucks all the life out of the roses. As it wears on, it smells like there’s a bit of honey in here. It’s reminding me of the honeyed apricots/oranges of Thaleia. Maybe there’s apricot in here? Wow – this is turning into Thaleia – that is so weird! Not what I expected at all based on the notes.

Anyway, this has not been a scent for me.